New Milton Advertiser 13th Nov 2020

18 · Friday 13th November 2020

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Letters

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Before then, attention should be given to preventing the overnight stays of the many camper vans on public lanes. At Milford and Keyhaven over the summer there have been dozens of camper vans parked all day and all night on New Lane and Saltmarsh. They have stayed, not for a night or two or a weekend, but for months on end. Apparently the location is some sort of recommended “wild camping” site. With no indications of parking restric- tions, people feel at liberty to stay, and continue to stay. For day visitors and local residents it is extremely hard to find a space to park for just a couple of hours. If the county council does not bring in rules to prohibit overnight stays it is paramount to condoning the practice. In this case local residents have grounds to demand a substan- tial cut in council tax, as we are living virtually on a wild camping site. Restrictions on parking should be introduced, over- night stays prohibited, and a substantial penalty imposed. It needs to be more than a recog- nised caravan site fee in order to be a deterrent. The area will then be restored to the peaceful and safe location it should be, for the benefit and enjoyment of everyone. G. Scovell, Address supplied Low-key acts of Remembrance SIR – It was with deep sadness that the New Milton branch of the Royal British Legion (RBL) had to cancel their already limited proposals for the Act of Remembrance due to take place last Sunday 8th Novem- ber at the town’s war memorial on the recreation ground. Once a new lockdown had been announced RBL, along- side the town council, decided

his life for his friends.” (John 15.13) Jesus Christ didn’t say this to sell anything. He doesn’t offer you and me life in all its fullness today because he’s been convinced that we’re great and worthy of his atten- tion, like the colleague who barely knows us. No, he speaks to us as someone who knows everything about us, even the things we keep hidden. When Jesus says that he loves us, he really means it and has the scars to show that it’s true. Every precious act of per- sonal sacrifice we remember in those short two minutes of silence is a reflection of this love, shown to us by God. There is nothing in the world greater than being prepared to lay down everything for the sake of others. We will remem- ber them. Rev. Dr Ben Sargent, Vicar of Bransgore and Hinton Admiral Who will rid us of this MP? SIR – The response of Sir Desmond Swayne, New Forest West MP, to the Covid pandem- ic reveals the extent to which he is deeply out of touch and out of sympathy with the con- cerns of a great number of his constituents – notwithstanding his majority. In extreme cases, notably that of Neil Hamilton MP in 1997, people in a constituency have united around a single op- position candidate to remove an unacceptable MP. Cannot the various political opponents of our MP – Lib Dems, Labour, Greens, Inde- pendents and unhappy Tories – support a ‘person in a white suit’ to challenge him, with a good prospect of replacing him? Jon Ellis, Lymington they had no option but to cancel the already limited event and advised those who had purchased wreaths to visit the war memorial during the day and lay them privately, spending a few moments for quiet reflection. However, it was so pleasing to witness on the morning itself the number of veterans, organisations and families who did gather quietly and socially distanced to pay their respects and observe the two-minute silence together. A similar low-key act of remembrance also took place at the Barton Indian obelisk at 3pm where the Last Post and Reveille were sounded, the Exhortation and the Kohima recited, and a two-minute silence observed. Wreaths were also laid, with government reg- ulations on distancing strictly adhered to. “We will remember them.” Goff Beck, Parade marshal and vice- chair of New Milton RBL

End in sight for flooding footpath? SIR – Further to your report on the ‘Flooding of village footpath’ (A&T, 23rd Octo- gravel for the authorities. Hundreds of tonnes of grav- el have been laid and washed out by the double high tides at Sturt Pond. Effectively,

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ber), I wonder how many years’ life the Solent Way footpath that runs alongside Sturt Pond has left in it? Site meetings with county, district and parish council representatives have shown there is no desire from any of them to raise the level of this footpath. It appears they would prefer to throw more gravel at the project rather than planning ahead as sea levels rise to a point when this path will be closed, possi- bly permanently! Funding is difficult, but with a long-term commit- ment to raise the path as an elevated boardwalk, it could be achieved. Unless we dream big and plan for tomorrow, the path will submerge. Gravel they intend putting down will continue to be flushed out into the pond as it has done for the past 30 years – and we should know, because that is how long voluntary community groups like Milford Conservation Vol- unteers have been laying the What is actual cost of licence? SIR – The Forestry England spokeswoman has exposed the truth about Forestry England making a charge of £5,000 for a simple pro forma licence (A&T, 6th November). The spokeswoman said that the money is used be- cause public funds are being squeezed. She then went on to talk about car parks, foot- paths and tree health. This has absolutely nothing to do with a tiny strip of land between the front gate of a house and the highway. Forestry England should disclose the actual cost of a li- cence being created in their of- fice. The time it takes a clerk to press a few keys on a computer to print off the licence cannot be more than a few pounds. The licence request form has detailed plans of the area affected and that can be substantiated by the FE’s own archive online records. Any charge above the costed amount is pure confiscation bordering on ransom. Let those who use the car parks and campsites pay the cost of the facilities and not innocent house-owners at the most expensive moment in their lives. J Roger Bell, Pilley Big issues about small-car drivers SIR – As a 4x4 driver I am re- plying to the person who wrote the letter in the 30th October edition of the A&T. Whilst there is no excuse for bad or dangerous driving of any kind, I drive a silver 4x4 and I am a farmer, so I would like to know why the drivers of small vehicles seem to think they are driving an HGV?

unless the authorities install a raised boardwalk, this well- used path will be lost. A few years ago, the land management company recorded over 39,000 visitors along this footpath in just one season. Site meetings with the authorities have so far proved ineffective at getting anyone (other than county councillor Fran Carpenter) to see that a long-term vision is needed to retain views over this beauti- ful local nature reserve. If the footpath closes, all that users will be left with is one fantastic bird hide at one end of the site, with very few other public viewing points from which to watch the wintering Brent geese, black- tailed godwits and Mediterra- nean gulls. For goodness sake local authorities, save our Solent Way footpath! Keith Metcalf, Milford Taking forever to turn a corner and pulling out in front of me and my two-tonne sheep trailer, thinking I can stop in a short distance whilst they find another gear. They then proceed to drive at least 10 miles under the speed limit. In fact, there are a lot of small-car drivers around this area who don’t indicate at roundabouts, think their cars can float through flood water, refuse to keep up with the speed limit, and forget to come off main beam. So before we 4x4-bash, have a look at the general standard of driving in this area. One of the plus points of the last lock- down was the fact such drivers weren’t on the road at all and we could get to our animals easily. Unlike the said person who supplied their name and ad- dress I will look you in in the eye when I say my piece. My name is supplied. Lisa Dunning, Lymington Scooters worse than Covid-19 SIR – In New Milton there is a greater danger to human life and possible injury than Covid-19 – this is a minority of mobility scooter users. Last Saturday morning I was almost mown down by one which approached from behind with no prior warning and missed me by inches. Having failed to get me, the driver nar- rowly avoided hitting several other people on the railway bridge. One visibly jumped in alarm and had any one of us side- stepped at the last moment it would have been a different outcome. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident as on many occa- sions I have noticed erratic

Andrew Burton spotted this starling on the lobster pots at Mudeford Quay. Please send your photos to news@adt.press

and inconsiderate driving of these vehicles. As the number of scooters on the footways increases along with the ageing population, it seems to me that there should be some kind of competency-based test for drivers, particularly where eyesight, co-ordination and consideration for pedestrians are concerned. It may also be helpful to have the vehicles fitted with bleep- ers when moving. 2020 is the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act and I celebrate this. I also supported it during my work- ing life, and I am not unsympa- thetic. But people who drive these vehicles must be aware that all disabilities are not visible and should take care. I am in my eighties and, whilst agile, I have sight and hearing im- pairment. Other footway users are lively, small children and dogs on leads who don’t always maintain a steady course. May I conclude by saying thank you to scooter drivers who are careful, considerate and often smile and pass the time of day. Name supplied, New Milton Taking no notice of Forest signs SIR – I wish to commend An- thony Pasmore for his article about the national park au- thority and Forestry England’s (FE) daft proposals for Hatch- et Pond (New Forest Notes, 6th November). To close the toilet block when there are few enough toilets and rubbish bins across the Forest is asinine. I couldn’t agree more with his comments about both the proliferation and increase in size of the many inappropriately placed and unnecessary signposts that have been sprouting all across the Forest in recent years. Many of them are a waste of time and money. For instance, the people who ignored the request “not to disturb nesting birds” are not going to take any more notice of larger and

New Milton gravel work, and noise from speeding traffic already travelling to and from Tesco shop and garage seven days a week until late at night. Traffic is going to increase in Caird Avenue anyway with the new housing estate, so we do not need to encourage more out-of-towners to visit yet another supermarket. As our green spaces are getting smaller and smaller, surely supermarkets should start leading the way in reusing vacant buildings. The high streets were de- signed for shops, so why are we deserting them? Name supplied, New Milton Time to deal with the wild campers SIR – Now that the clocks have gone back and we look forward to autumn and Christmas, per- haps it is time to think further – to next Easter.

uglier signs. (How do we tell the cows not to trample the nest?) Ever since I first started coming to the Forest from Sussex in 1954/5, we knew it was a special place. It didn’t have – and we didn’t need – the current plethora of notices to tell us. For many years the AA and other such providers have been telling us that the New Forest is a wonderful public amenity that deserves more than a fleeting visit. Of course, we need to protect the wildlife. But self-centred, single-interest groups that seem to control the NPA and FE all need to be reminded that, especially at this difficult time when people have added time on their hands and we are exhorted to exercise to relieve boredom, the New Forest is a public amenity. So rather than proposals to close places down to the pub- lic, they should consider how they could help us sensibly use them. Having closed half the car parks for many weeks last win- ter and then kept them closed for an additional 12 weeks during the first lockdown, it is iniquitous that so many have again been closed. Derek Redman, Bashley Bring shops back to high street SIR – Further to the letter regarding the Aldi planning ap- plication (Letters, 6th Novem- ber), it should be remembered that the Co-op traded from Station Road for many years. Aldi will probably get planning permission in Caird Avenue due to extra income for the local authority. It will be another blot on our landscape together with land allocated by New Forest District Council for a housing estate. Future and existing residents already endure being woken regularly by reversing alarms and crashing of roll-out cages, as mentioned in previous cor- respondence. Caird Avenue also suffers from continuous dust from the

Christian Comment WHEN a stranger pays you a compliment, it’s not that ex- citing is it? The compliment is made even more meaningless if it’s given by someone who is trying to sell you something. “Wow, you look great in that suit!” shouldn’t be taken at face value unless you’re desperate! When an acquaintance, you think to yourself: “Would you really do anything for me? You won’t let me use the TV remote and you rarely look up from your smartphone when we’re supposed to be having a conversation. You don’t really expect me to believe that you’d walk 1,000 miles for me?” Imagine someone who

a colleague or a friend of a friend says that you’re great, it’s a little better, but it’s not something to be taken too seriously. “They don’t really know me, though,” you think to your- self. “They don’t know what I really think, some of things I’ve said, the things I’ve been looking at on the internet”. Their ignorance of all that you keep hidden from others means that you don’t take the compliment to heart. When a close friend or family member says that they would do anything for you, it’s wonderful. At the same time,

knows your secret thoughts, your search history, all the times you decided not to help or say a kind word. Imagine that person saying, not that they would do anything for you, but that they have done everything for you. They hold up their nail-scarred hands to prove that these aren’t empty words. At this time of year when we remember those who have given their lives to build peace, we often hear those words spoken nearly 2,000 years ago by Jesus Christ: “Greater love hath no man than this: that he lays down

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